Nadim's comments - by leg
| 1. | Time Lost: 00:45 | I hadn't run the 2002 US Champs Day 1 Blue Course but I did run the Red course which had some of the same controls. I was the last to start from our training group, 2 minutes behind Ted Good. I took off down the trail mostly but once across the first creek, the trails didn't seem to match-up well. I didn't take the intermittant curving trail down to the next creek since I knew many fallen logs crossed it. Instead I ran right of it on the flatter ground. Across the next creek I was unsure of things. I ran left of straight anc curved around into the correct area. Seeing the reentrant for the control, I found nothing and got just past it. Then I heard some noises and soon after, Ted Good was running back announcing that the control was coming... Peggy had misplaced it. |
| 2. | Time Lost: 04:00 | I waited 2 minutes off the clock for Ted to go ahead. Going for the control, moved right of straight to avoid green areas. I adjusted left a bit but ended up way too far left. Not wanting to miss it to the higher ground left, I went further left before cutting back and eventually getting to it. There wasn't much to relocate on. |
| 3. | Straight up but not very fast. Even seeing the clearing, I didn't see the streamer until the end. | |
| 4. | Time Lost: 01:30 | I tried to use the intermittant trail back to the parking lot but it was much greener than shown and slow. I should have gone straight. I cut left at the parking lot and ran to a curve and reentrant before going into the woods again. I crossed one reentrant at an angle and ran down the left side of the ridge looking for the rock or streamer below. I expected it nearer the creek so when I got there I wondered if I had the wrong reentrant. The curves of the creek confirmed I was in the right place. Going and looking back up the reentrant, I soon saw the rock I had passed. |
| 5. | The woods had opened up some and I finally got more into the map. I ran straight counting reentrants. As I started to get unsure, I was left of straight and able to relocate by seeing rocks ahead. I crossed the stream and ran up onto the ridge, following it into the control. I knew was to expect since I had set this control. | |
| 6. | When I did a similar leg in 2002 when running red, I was too chicken by this point to go straight. I remembered that those who did had fast splits. Since it was training and I had set this control earlier in the morning by going around, I went straight, reading my way across and going on bearing where I couldn't. I got a little unsure at the end but spiked it. | |
| 7. | As I dropped down, I could see Tim Good ahead who despaired at everyone else having passed him already. I crossed the creek on the first slightly thin and bouncy log. I followed the stream up to where it split then cut left to continue up a reentrant to the end of it. I cut up left from there and dropped right down onto the saddle. | |
| 8. | Angling across the reentrant, I went left up the first reentrant on the left and around the green on the right. I paused under the control but soon saw it up higher. | |
| 9. | I ran right of straight and saw the saddle on my right. I cut left down the reentrant to go around the next big hill. Cutting right at the junction, I climbed to spike the control. | |
| 10. | I ran straight over the top and on the ridge. Counting reentrants, I dropped into the control to see a party there--Peggy, Dave Onkst and Tom Carr. | |
| 11. | Time Lost: 01:20 | I ate a Gu and drank. This accounted for 55 seconds. Hitting Liming road, I chased Peggy but didn't catch her until on the Scenic Loop Rd. just before the bridge. Passing her I often make mistakes and this was no different. I was looking ahead and thinking I wanted to use the left side of the creek for better running and then cross nearer to the control. I didn't cross the bridge and instead ran on the left side of South Fork Creek. Realizing the reentrants to my right weren't matching up, I turned around. Back to the road, I turned left, crossed the bridge then ran up the left side of the smaller stream. I gained on and passed Peggy who was going up the narrower right side. I ran and walked up the big spur on my right to spike the control a bit ahead of Peggy. |
| 12. | I ran up the right side of the big reentrant, crossed the road and made sure to be on the left side of the next reeentrant to spike the control. | |
| 13. | Time Lost: 02:30 | I dropped down straightand crossed the stream. Going up, I could see that Dave Onkst was about 100m to my right. I continued taking the higher part of the ridge. As I dropped down the next side, I watched the steepness on my right and crossed the next stream. I didn't see the reentrant on my right so I kept going on bearing. Things didn't seem right. I saw the valley split and cut right hoping it was the reentrant but after reaching the top I figured I was in one reentrant too far north. I came back to get there just as Peggy was punching. |
| 14. | I passed Peggy and crossed the road going straight. Crossing the next reentrant, I cut right on the next. I angled across over a spur then across a stream. Going up the side reentrant I was 230m SW from the control so I went on bearing. I saw it from 100m away and saw Tom Carr leaving. | |
| 15. | I went fairly straight and lost sight of Tom. I was a little left of the line counting reentrants. I paused one reentrant too soon but as I continued and dropped into the correct one, Dave Onkst and Tom Carr were at the control. | |
| 16. | Time Lost: 00:30 | I passed Tom and chased behind Dave. I could see that we were getting left of straight. As I caught Dave I cut right a bit and saw the reentrants on my left. I was concerned that I'd passed the correct reentrant and could see Tom hunting in that area. I cut back just before being able to see the control ahead. Finding nothing, I went ahead and found it. |
| 17. | I chased after Tom and Dave, passing Tom before the creek. I crossed on the left side, not being very careful. I decided to angle up instead of having a steeper climb later. I think I walked some. I got past the bend in the main creek and followed a bearing into the right reentrant, passing Dave who was climbing at thes point. I could see the green ahead and figured I was in the right place--it felt risky to trust the vegetation. I went around on the left side and corrected my bearing. Crossing the small patch of white I figured to be near. I hit a water pit. Presuming it to be one of the two mapped pits, I followed a bearing to a dry pit. I continued the bearing to the next pit and found the control. I could see why the participants in the 2002 US Champs didn't like this control. | |
| 18. | I first ran straight, then a bit right to get out of the green. At the road I cut right to get just before the bend. I should have stayed on it further but I cut left. Dropping down, I could see control #13 to my right. I crossed the valley and climbed the next ridge counting reentrants to the control. | |
| 19. | Down the reentrant and across the valley, I got left of straight. Climbing the left side of the spur toward the building jogging and walking, I hit the path and crossed the road with the help of Ted's cheering--he'd already finished. I cut right after the water tower, around the reentrant and down. I paused a bit at the first spur but went ahead and found it. | |
| 20. | I ran back up through the finish area. | |
| 21. | I started to jog it in but picked it up to a decent effort. |
Total Time Lost - 00:10:35
| Suggested Exercises |
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